The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-09

Not long ago he sat on the bench of one
of the New York police courts when two
policemen entered the court room with a
prisoner The wrists of the latter Nwere
manacled. His eyes were bloodshot and
blood was flowing from a wound on the top
of his head, where one of the policeman
clubs had laid open his scalp. The police
reporters who had crowded around at first
thinking that here was perhaps another case
of police outrage, turned away They
recognized in the prisoner one of New
Yorks toughs and felt that his punishment
had been well deserved. The prisoner was
a member of the gangs that make the North
river in the neighborhood of the crooked
streets that once formed Greenwich village
unsafe to passers by. He was an ex-con-
Wet, had committed innumerable thefts and
assaults, and had twice barely escaped muir
der. why was such a scoundrel allowed
at large!" cried the indignant Justice. Well,
he had a pull, so the policeman said, with a
smile. Every time he was arrested certain
saloon keepers who stood in with the gang
used their influence with their political
friends to get him off. 1t was only when
his crime was of such an egregious charac
ter as to take the power of discharge out of
the hands of the Justice and the latter was
compelled to hold him for trial that he stood
in any danger of imprisonment. In the
present instance he had beaten a young
woman, his mistress, because she did not
furnish him with money enough to work the
growler. The woman was badly injured,
but refused to make a complaint. The po-
lice had therefore arrested him for disorder
ly conduct and had been compelled to use
their clubs frequently in the attempt to sub
due him enough to get him court. The
Justice was loud in his denunciation.
You miserable wretch" he cried, "what
do You mean by such vile conducts You
have had immunity from your crimes long
enough. There is no power on earth which
Will induce me to let you go, and you may
as well understand that at once. No polite
al pull will aid you this time. You will
lind that the rights of honest citizens will
be protected in the court every time, and
the low-lived rascals like yourself will re-
celve their just punishment, too. You will
spend the next six months on the island"
The Justice did not get over his burst of
virtue for fully half an hour. When he
had disposed of all the business and was
ready to leave the court, he Endorsed on the
back of the commitment papers with a
great flourish this notice to his fellow-J us
tees:
He is mean, miserable scamp-beats
poor woman when she refuses him money.
Not to be discharged for any one.'
The next morning a discharge for the
prisoner in Justice Duffy's handwriting,
'oiiV NAONll w loOlli otil.A Al a low
minutes after the morning session of the
court began the tough, whom the Justice
had properly described as "a mean, misera-
bic scamp, was once more free. Such is
Justice Duffy, popularity known as the Lit
Tie Judge
The rich who can employ counsel to pro-
tect their rights, do not suffer from the al
most despotic power that the Police Justices
arrogate to themselves, but the poor and ig-
norant do. To them the Police Justice is
omnipotent. his word is law and they
meekly bow to his orders. The only check
on the Justice in such cases is the presence
OF the newspaper reporters, whom he fears.
Where these gentleman are conscientious
and determined to do their duty regardless
OF consequences, the Justice holds himself
IN curb and his attractions of the rights of
the prisoners are of so petty a nature as to
make 1t impracticable for a newspaper to
aevote space to their condemnation. Un-
fortunately, some of the reporters are not
very enthusiastic and do not desire to rouse
the enmity of the Justices and their bench
men. In such cases outrages upon the
rights of citizens are frequent occurrences.
A Police Justicesbip is one of the sottest
OF the many downy political berths in New
York Once appointed she lucky man can
not be removed before the expiration OF his
term of office--ten years-unless he is inn
peached by the General Term of the SUI
preme Court; and such an impeachment Is
as likely as Blaine's falling in love with
cleveland. The salary is $1,000 year and